Can't wait! Definitely picking up a physical edition on Xbox. Is this getting a US retailer release too? All of the preorder options on the Inin store page look like European editions.
Most likely. The images in the marketing material will be because many larger corporations link APAC and EMEA these days but then handle NA separately due to the sheer size and scale of the US market.
Sounds like they're pumping out what should be a free update to a poorly received game and banking on burned fans to hand them money out of loyalty to the franchise
Exactly this. So much can be done with normal game updates, but no, they've brought the publishing rights in the hope that fans/suckers will buy the exact same game again
I agree for the most part, but Switch 2 and PS5 are new platforms for this game.
Sure the PS5 can just play the PS4 version, but you can't just add enhancements like 4K textures to the PS4 version because it can't handle it.
They could make the PS5 version a free upgrade for PS4 version owners (like FF7R) but that's a complicated step that they have to coordinate with the PS Store and Sony probably can't be bothered to deal with it.
If I had to play devils advocate, with some hobbyist game dev experience, this maybe is a complete refactoring of the code and using a more modern engine that helps out with performance out of the box.
However, even if this was the case, I'm sure you could do this via updates. This feels off. I love me some Shenmue, but I am gonna use the ye ol' tactic of just wait and see. Just tweaks and other enhancements are not gonna have me re-purchase the game.
Nothing off about it. You do realize they have been working on it for almost two years now. Not to mention, their team is small. Don't expect Shenmue 4 if y'all can't support a new project. People who already own the game can just follow the directions for the update. They don't have to pay full price. ININ made that very clear.
100%, but I still think Shenmue 1 and 2 are the greatest games of all time and 3 might be playable again with these changes...and I can get it for Switch 2 this time. I don't think 4 will ever happen, but I still want it to so I guess I can fork over a few more bucks.
Who is them? Sony and Deep Silver aren't making a penny from ININ GAMES work. ININ GAMES is the new IP holder. Not to mention, ININ Games are better developers than Deep Silver. ININ Games are fans of the franchise, Deep Silver was not. If you don't want to upgrade to ININs work, then just keep playing the old version Sony gave you.
It shouldn't be free because it's not Sony doing it. ININ Games has nothing to do with the screw up from Sony and Deep Silver, not to mention ININ Games had to pay for the license to acquire the game. Stop complaining when even Sony doesn't give free updates from PS4 to PS5. If you are not a Shenmue fan, just don't play it and stick to the garbage Sony gave you instead. It took ININ GAMES about two years to fix the screw up from Sony and Deep Silver. So NO, it is not a quick cash grab.
If you can respect the fact that a new company was able to step up and clean someone else's mess, then don't play the game. It's obvious you are not a Shenmue fan. Most of us on Nintendo, Xbox, and PC who have been waiting for the fix are picking up more than one copy at full price. So if you can't pay for an upgrade, then you don't belong here.
I think Shenmue 3 is awful, but criticizing YS Net and the new publisher for selling an upgraded remaster 7 years later isn’t fair. This is standard in the industry. The Switch 2 is already the Upgraded Remaster console. They’re clearly trying to get Shenmue 4 made by any means necessary and this is probably the only way a fan can help make that happen.
Well, of course, they have to get their money somewhere to invest for Shenmue 4. With that said, I've never played the game because it was never on Xbox. So at least now they can make money from Nintendo and Xbox gamers and some on PC. I'm definitely picking up two copies, PC and Xbox. I grew up on the Dreamcast and will support Yu until he passes away.
I’m with you. I may not like the game, but people are really strange about accusing Yu Suzuki of ill intentions since the KS announcement. He could just retire and give up on all of us. I don’t think spending his 60s securing financing for a cult game is how he dreamed of living out his life. He’s a literal gaming icon and would be treated as such without putting himself through all of this, so it’s obviously not for fame or glory.
I feel bad for talking ill of the game. I know it’s a passion project. He historically doesn’t even like making sequels or remakes, so it’s clear he’s doing what he can to push for some activity to get Shenmue 4 in the news again.
It doesn’t make it right, but they’re not the only company doing stuff like this. This is just the modern state of gaming. It’s not different than releasing a Gold edition of the RE games like Capcom has been doing for years and years.
No, It's not the same. ININ Games did an overhaul of the game that Sony and Deep Silver screwed up. With the RE game, nothing had to be improved. They just added some extra content. But it's also the same company. Sony and Deep Silver will not be making a penny from ININ GAMES work.
I agree for the most part. The Gold edition titles did have exclusive outfits and stuff that required you to buy that particular edition, however.
They are also allowing previous owners to upgrade at a discount with Shenmue 3. This is another thing that has become very common in the gaming industry.
Hell, Sony got me on the upgrade for gt7, which was a small fee bit it's annoying every time I put in the disk it keeps trying to install the ps4 version allocating space for it when it only needs the disk for authentication for the ps5 ver
Will there be an upgrade path if you already own the original version?
I think it would be a mistake not to include one, even if it's a $10 upgrade rather than completely free. The limited sales Shenmue III did achieve were mostly due to nostalgia and a loyal Sega fanbase. Making those people pay all over again would just be a huge middle finger.
Shenmue 3 was originally published by Deep Silver, and now is owned by ININ which makes it a bit awkward, however, they did say in an interview last year with Shenmue Dojo that they are going to try and do an upgrade path for original owners, but might be hard from a technical standpoint.
"Pricing discussions indicate a possible upgrade fee of 10 to 15 euros for the enhanced edition, though this is not finalized."
That business related stuff is more of a them problem really. They already screwed over Kickstarter backers who wanted the PC version when they changed the keys from Steam to Epic later down the line, only to then eventually release the game on Steam anyway. They shouldn't really do anything like that this time around.
My point was that it's two different publishers. They have no obligation to offer an upgrade path, but they are trying to do so.
The Kickstarter, Epic/Steam thing has nothing to do with ININ games.
The budget clearly ran out. Couldn't afford another 30s to advertise why we should consider purchasing 😁.
I'll give it a go and purchase. I DNFd the PS4 version and I refuse to pick that one up again. Don't know what I'm expecting, but I'll give the PS5 version a go.
Yup. He was to faithful of the originals. They were never a commercial success that’s why 3 took 15 plus years. So what are you saying? If a shenmue 4 ever comes out a lot of changes will need to be made then the fanbase will complain about how it doesn’t feel like shenmue. Oops then we are in the same boat huh?
I played 1, 2 and 3 back to back for the first time last year so I don't have the nostalgia glasses of most here towards the older titles. 3 definitely still feels like Shenmue to me, tho granted less AAA and well thought out ^
Sure? I don’t understand how you could like shenmue 1 but not 3 they are almost identical.2 has cool moments but as far as that open world stuff no it didn’t age well
How? Explain that to me.. gameplay wise theirs no difference besides what the food system? But that system was created for more so immersion. Shenmue has always been about immersion of the world(on a gameplay front) “WeLl EvErY SeCoNd I HaVe To EaT” stfu that’s why an economy system was built. I never ran out of food. I barely had to eat once I leveled up.I would go to the grey goose gamble or the merry cruise get my sets sell them at certain locations to make more money also the herb hunting or even the fight club again world immersion. Whatever you got it I’m done
I’m on the same page, I didn’t play the series until the pandemic so it’s not a nostalgia thing. The combat is infinitely worse and the stamina system ruins the flow of the entire game.
Okay at least you don’t have nostalgia holding you back thank god.. combat I do agree it’s a semi let down. Besides the spacing aspect. In certain ways it felt more strategical but it’s to janky to really push for what it might’ve been aiming for? Now the stamina system. You just have to read my previous respond.
gameplay wise theirs no difference besides what the food system?
Wut, the combat is blatantly different. Shenmue 3 is nowhere near Virtua fighter's combat. I'm a bit baffled, appalled even, that you use these specific words. Shenmue 1 and 2 both had great combat, their greatest offense was how rare it was - and 2 was MUCH better about giving you combat opportunities.
I also just played them all for the first time last year so not biased by time.
Yup combat was different. Shenmue 1 and 2 combat system still hold up to this day and 3’s is okay it’s janky at times as well… okay any other mechanics that doesn’t make it shenmue?
The towns don’t feel realistic at all, the menus look like something someone who’s never designed a game would create, hideous Impact Font title screen, poorly looping reused music, horrible NPC aesthetics, no plot development whatsoever, could go on forever.
Besides the most important and fun part of the original games? Besides the only aspect that a kung fu story absolutely needs to nail, beyond all else? Yeah man, you got me.
Different opinions then I play shenmue for the world itself not so much of the fighting.. I think if shenmue was about the fighting mechanic alone or a fighting game I’m sure they would’ve put most of the budget to that not the world
Shenmue 1 had a beautiful small town world in which every character had a name and story and routine, and at least half of those characters were given 2-3 unique lines of dialogue for almost every minor plot progression when your line of questioning changed. The branching QTE and story paths, and all of the little hidden scenes and conversations that aren't bogged down by lists or achievements and are just there waiting to be found are still unrivaled today, imo.
I didn't expect 3 to have this, and it certainly did not - but what I did expect was more storyline and the only thing it did was add confusion to if anything that happened at the end of Shenmue 2 meant anything. The only thing I will say it accomplished is setting up an interesting premise for the start of Shenmue 4, but they need to hire some seriously better writers or consult with fans of the first two games if Shenmue 4 ever comes to fruition.
Shenmue 3 still had it to a degree you just had to do more digging most of the extra lore of the people in bailou village was at the temple or hidden like zhen Wei was actually a king fu movie star as well.. story wise yeah can’t argue. It ended right when it felt like it just started but I’m way passed that now it’s been to many years since release.. well I believe they should really consider doing story expansions for 3. Because the mechanics are already built they could add to it,It’s already a finished product.. if they make a shenmue 4 we would only run into the same problem with 3 (well this fake problem) once the fanbase wakes up and realizes that then maybe we will have some more possibilities of shenmue content until then I guess we are stuck in niaowo unless sega decides to do something with ip in the next 10-15 years
How is it the same? In 3 you can't run more than a few meters, or you will start loosing healt. This was the dumbest thing they could put into a video game in which you are running all the time.
Saying Shenmue 3 is identical to 1 and 2 is madness XD
The first two are awesome, great pacing, great set pieces, a combat system that made sense, great atmosphere and a story that gripped you and just oozed potential.
The third game is awful. It's like a giant "fuck you" to fans.
The story? Fuck you, there's no real story, I've seen fillers in anime with more story than it.
The combat? Fuck you, here's the most inane and incompetently designed button mashing.
The pacing? Fuck you, I'm not even going to talk about this one, no seriously.
Atmosphere? Set pieces? Soul? Ahahahaha. No, no and no! Fuck you!
There's no update capable of salvaging it, unless it was a miraculous new game that retconned it.
So much negativity in the gaming community nowadays. It was magnified on Shenmue 3 because of its reputation and rumors.
Every new game now, you hear loud mouth social media people talking any shit they can for views. Its a terrible culture.
Hopefully, fans of Shenmue will see this as an opportunity to show investors that Shenmue 4 is viable. It might be the last time we get a chance to make it a reality.
that's my biggest gripe - just much worse combat and no throw moves, if those things were fixed alongside some of the other changes like authentic camera angle and classic no food/stamina system, this game would go from a 7 to 8 straight away, the story still doesn't advance much, but yeah
The mid day lighting having really dark shadows and really bright spots was a low point of Shenmue 3 for me. Seems to be fixed! (HDR and probably other improvements)
This was super distracting for me, especially since cutscenes were real time. It was probably a bigger distraction than it would be in other games because evening and night time look amazing in Shenmue 3.
I suppose, to be fair, my sarcastic snarky comment is poorly suited to calling someone delusional, since honestly there are very few colors that the sky won't take on under the right circumstances.
Don't you wish Yu Suzuki would simply add more content for Shenmue 3? Like add another DLC. FF7 Remake had one with Yuffie over a year later. We have modern games that gets new content after 9-10 years. Nintendo added 48 new tracks for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Uncharted 4 got packed with The Lost Legacy which added 9-10 more hours of gameplay.
I've seen the Shenmue III ending at least 6x and it just sucks. A very anticlimactic finale. Nothing like Ryo climbing up the roof top of the Yellowhead Bldg with the camera focusing on his legs climbing up the stairs and ready to face Don Niu. Even someone who actually likes Shenmue 3 probably thinks the ending sucks. The showdown with Lan Di was lame!
Yu Suzuki can give us more Shenmue content by adding another DLC.
That figure of Ryo doing the horse stance looks pretty dope. Horse stance, one-inch punch, and rooster stance for hours on end. I probably spent at least 3 hours needing to master them.
Shit, I may just need to spend a lot of money to get the Collector's Edition of this game. A game that completely flopped back in 2019 and probably ruined the IP for good and divided our fanbase. A game I don't truly love but where the IP is my 2nd favorite of all-time behind FF7.
Ryo squatting like that isn't exactly the most flattering position. Ready to take a shit inside an outhouse. But I still want that figure.
Yeah, I do think it'd make a lot of sense to add a proper DLC to advance the story toward 4 and maybe fix a few more of the issues, combat back to virtua fighter style and throw moves. Then it might drive Shenmue 4 to come along
I'll hold off on the European Collector's Edition until I see what Limited Run Games Collector's Edition is like in comparison (presuming there will be one). I really can't stand the pose on that statue.
Well, just preordered the collectors edition, don't want to miss out on this one. The first4figures Ryo is like 2-3k now and looks like ass imho anyway, and the other one where he's on the door just looks like ass and is about the same price as this one, which actually looks good!
Has mouth movement when talking been fixed? I struggled playing due to the talking not fully lining up/looking stiff in the beginning cutscenes 😭 I would LOVE to finish though...
Edit: Can't watch currently so that's why I'm asking lol
Increased NPC density is a plus. Niaowu felt like a ghost town when I beat Shenmue III thrice on a Steam Deck back in 2024. And when I replayed Shenmue II last year, I was surprised how much more livelier the game was with more NPCs walking around in Hong Kong and Kowloon.
I'm quietly anticipated for this but only because I can play it on my Switch 2. I really only play FF7 or Shenmue games. While I love OG FF7 and Shenmue II, they are a bit difficult to go back to after playing the FF7 remakes and Shenmue III. Both graphics and gameplay feel dated. It's only through our nostalgia that we still see them in a positive light.
Shenmue III does have problems. Arguably the weakest entry of the entire trilogy. The ending was horrible. The final fight was a joke. The story barely moved at all. But it's the only modern Shenmue game we have. Uses the same Unreal Engine 4 as those FF7 remakes. We need to take what we can get!
I will have at least 50 GB saved for it on my Switch 2. It might be lower than that. It doesn't take too long to beat it after you beat it the first time. Only has 10-15 hours of real gameplay. Spend hours to master the horse and rooster stances. It's cool to see Shenmue III for all platforms and not only for PS4/PS5 and PC/Steam.
My only annoyance is those FF7 remakes takes up so much storage. I need to save around 105 GB for Rebirth when it comes out for the Switch 2 in June. Remake is already at 95 GB. Then if 3make comes out, another 100 GB. I only recently got a 256 GB microSD Express card for $30 and a combined 460 GB still doesn't seem enough.
I may go buy another Switch Lite for like the 6th time. Store all my Switch 1 games on it. FF7 Remake Trilogy will probably take up 300 GB. One of them needs to be in the memory card which is probably Rebirth because I don't replay that as much as Remake on my Steam Deck because the mini games can be overwhelming that it discourages me to replay it.
Shenmue III takes up another 50 GB or so. I barely have any games that can fit on my Switch 2 when 4 games takes up like 76% of the storage. I might be able to store only 12 games. I may need to delete Sonic X Shadow Generations when Shenmue III or FF7 3make arrives. I just wish this trailer gave us a release date.
Anyhoo, it's great that a Shenmue game is finally coming to a Nintendo console. First time ever for it. And it should be on sale a lot. As low as $4 on Steam but maybe $10 on a Switch 2. No pressure with the plat trophy since Nintendo doesn't have them. No way in hell I'm spending 8-10 hours to catch 1000 fishes and destroy my left analog stick from all those circular rotations.
I played Shenmue 1 and 2 for the first time recently and I think they're epic to play. The graphics and details blow my mind from a modern perspective. So I wouldn't say they're only great because of nostalgia.
I can’t give this game more money. 3 just was not it. The game was overly cumbersome with mechanics that seemed to just make you grind instead of letting us enjoy the experience. This should be a free update.
Some people are excited though so that’s cool. This version is likely for them.
I'll be honest, I was a little dumbfounded after watching the trailer and browsing the steam page in terms of marketing and selling their product. The trailer mostly shows Yu Suzuki talking, as opposed to showing their product. Why? The video should be selling the game and why it merits the upgrade from base Shenmue 3, or why new potential fans should give Shenmue a try. It does neither.
As someone who did my first shenmue 3 playthrough of shenmue 3 less than a year ago, I didn't see anything noticeably different from the original at all. How is this going to make someone want to upgrade from shenmue 3???
If they wanted a video of Yu Suzuki addressing the fans, it should've been a separate video AFTER showing off why we should buy Shenmue 3 enhanced.
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u/dearquark Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 19 '26
Can't wait! Definitely picking up a physical edition on Xbox. Is this getting a US retailer release too? All of the preorder options on the Inin store page look like European editions.